Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 16,
No. 3, 2000, 664-676
Measuring sizes of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
by underwater videogrammetry (2000)
- Scott S.Spitz and Louis M.Herman,
- Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory and Department of Psychology,
University of Hawai'i.
- Adam A.Pack,
- Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory, and The Dolphin Institute.
(C) 2000 by the Society for Marine Mammology
Measurements of body sizes of living humpback whales (Megaptera
novaeangliae) can aid significantly in the understanding of
important aspects of their biology and behavior, such as age-related
demographics of the population, social organization, reproductive
behaviors and strategies, and calf growth rates. We report here
on a new inexpensive technique we call underwater videogrammetry
for measuring sizes of whales that, at the same time, offers opportunities
for gathering data on individual identification, behavior, social
role, and sex. We demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of
the technique by measuring objects of known size. We also provide
size data on female humpback whales ("mothers") accompanied
by their calf, and on male whales acting as single escorts to
mother-calf pairs (Herman and Antinoja 1977). We obtained both
data sets during the annual winter assembly of humpback whales
in Hawaiian waters.
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Spitz, S.S., Herman, L.M., & Pack, A.A. (2000). Measuring
sizes of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) by underwater
videogrammetry. Marine Mammal Science, 16, 664-676.
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